I have an electric Maytag MDE2400AYW dryer who's heater (coil) went. I purchased a new one using the part number obtained from sears' parts department (the original retailer for the dryer). The part number used is 34001073. The heater coil looks very similar to the one removed in that they are both 240v, 1000w specifications and have the same plug connections assembly, etc.

After installation, which is simple on this model dryer, the a sparking sound came from the dryer as well as a pungant burning smell. I immediately shut off the power, let the dryer cool (just incase) and took out the heat coil. It looked fresh from the package. The wiring as well showed no signs of burning. The burning smell was throughout the dryer's interior.

Often if you click on the parts picture a new page will open with more views of the part. May be useful here.
I cross referenced your part number for the heater on this site and it does look like the correct one.

It looked fresh from the package. The wiring as well showed no signs of burning. The burning smell was throughout the dryer's interior.
I would check the new heater assembly with a meter.
Also check that it's coil is not grounded (touching the case). Disconnect it and measure all contacts to the case, all should be infinite ohms.
The location of the arcing/burning will not necessarily be at the heater itself.

Since you had arcing and a burning smell there should be some evidence of this. Could be weld marks, bubbled wire insulation, etc.
I would look at the unit's terminal strip first. Then you will have to work your way through the unit. Hopefully the control board will check OK.

If you do find a problem area be sure to clean/check this carefully.
That it heated here is an indication of a bad connection (resistance in the connection). As current flows through this connection it will heat up, which makes the connection worse, which causes more heat etc, etc, etc. until the connection fails in the future.

Thank you for the reply. I used the service manual to open up the lid of the dryer. I found the source of the smell, sulfur in nature, coming from one of two sensors (or fuses, can't really tell which). I've attached images of it removed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by denman

It looked fresh from the package. The wiring as well showed no signs of burning. The burning smell was throughout the dryer's interior.
I would check the new heater assembly with a meter.
Also check that it's coil is not grounded (touching the case). Disconnect it and measure all contacts to the case, all should be infinite ohms.
The location of the arcing/burning will not necessarily be at the heater itself.

Since you had arcing and a burning smell there should be some evidence of this. Could be weld marks, bubbled wire insulation, etc.
I would look at the unit's terminal strip first. Then you will have to work your way through the unit. Hopefully the control board will check OK.

If you do find a problem area be sure to clean/check this carefully.
That it heated here is an indication of a bad connection (resistance in the connection). As current flows through this connection it will heat up, which makes the connection worse, which causes more heat etc, etc, etc. until the connection fails in the future.

Like I said, the part looks brand new. There is no charing on the heater.

My confusion:
How could this go, if it is indeed the problem?

The dryer worked fine, then stopped blowing hot air. When the heater was taken out, it had broken springs etc. So, a brand new replacement heater can blow a fuse? Or was it just blown when the heater went? But if that's so, then why did the fuse arc and smell after turning on the heater?

My confusion:
How could this go, if it is indeed the problem?
I cannot say why it blew but it definitely looks like it has a problem.
Perhaps when the heating coils went they touched the case, drew too much current and this was the weakest device in the circuit so it was weakened perhaps its contacts pitted. Then when you installed the new heater it blew as it now had some resistance due to the pitting. This is just a guess.

So, a brand new replacement heater can blow a fuse?
I would check the new heater with a meter just to be sure that you have not received a defective part.

Or was it just blown when the heater went?
Cannot say

But if that's so, then why did the fuse arc and smell after turning on the heater?
Again cannot say.

They do seem to like to confuse things as it is called a resettable fuse (page 12 in the manual) when in actuality I would say it is a resettable thermostat.

Sorry for not getting back to you earlier but got stuck at the lake due to a snow storm.

If you do not own a meter, I would suggest you purchase a one. You can get a decent digital multimeter for under $20.00. You do not need fancy though it is nice if the leads are a couple feet long.
If it saves ordering one unnecessary part it has paid for itself and you end up owning a useful tool.
Most places will not let you return electrical parts so if you order it, you own it.
A couple things to watch when measuring ohms and continuity
1. Always remove power from the machine otherwise you could blow your meter.
2. Always disconnect at least one side of any device you are checking. This eliminates the possibility of measuring an alternate/parallel circuit path.
3. When checking for closed contacts and continuity use the lowest scale (Usually 200 ohms). Then try higher scales. This scale is 0 to 200 ohms so if the device you are measuring is 300 ohms this scale would show an open circuit which it is not, you are just measuring outside the scale's dynamic range.

I purchased a new multimeter, Craftsman 3482170. I applied the leads to the old "thermostat" fuse and the meter read: 20ohms, on the newly orderd part, the meter read: 0.5ohms. I hate to sound like I don't know what I am doing, but in this case, I have absolutely no idea what I am doing. This meter also has a test for continuity, so, on the old part, it read: 0.03, on the new part, the meter read: 0.002.

I assume you would want the fuses open so that they will allow current to run through to the heating element and they close when the current being used or supplied is to high. If that is so, then why would the new part have a lower resistance than the older part that is chared?

Am I doing this wrong?
No, you just do not understand how these devices work.
No biggie, hopefully I will be able to explain it.

The thermostat should be 0 ohms at room temperature and infinite ohms (open) when they reach the set temp.
So lets say a thermostat has a set temp of 200 degrees F, current will pass through it till the heater and the thermostat reach the 200 degrees and then it will open cutting off the current and stopping the heating. So the heat is regulated at 200 degrees.

Another thing to note is that when current passes through a resistance it causes heat. This is how your heater coil works, as an example a 10 ohm heat coil with 240 volts across it will pass 24 amps of current. This is then a 5760 watt heater (current X voltage = wattage)
So the resistance in the old thermostat acts like a heater when current passes through it and that is why it heats up/chars when it should not.
The new thermostat has no or minimal resistance so no heat is generated as the current for the heater passes through it and you only get heat at the heating coil.

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